To Walk in the Sun (Wiggons' School for Elegant Young Ladies - Book 1) (28 page)

He rolled over and punched the pillow. What
to do about Percer and when would he make his next move? Even if he
didn’t learn immediately of their trick, Vincent knew in his gut
Percer would not be finished until he had dealt with Tess. That is
what worried Vincent more than anything else. He needed to find a
way to protect her and her idea of leaving by ship from Edinburgh
was out of the question.

“Come,” Vincent called to the knock on his
door.

“Lord Atwood, Mrs. Zobard sent up chocolate
to Miss Crawford and thought you might enjoy a cup as well,” Wesley
announced as he entered to room.

Vincent had to chuckle. He couldn’t remember
the last time he enjoyed a warm cup.

“She thought it was high time you tried
something other than brandy,” Wesley sniffed.

“You sound as if you disapprove, Wesley.”
Vincent didn’t try to hide the humor in his voice.

“I simply wish it had been I who thought of
the solution, sir,” Wesley admitted.

After he was gone, Vincent drained the cup
and crawled back into bed. Yes, it was very good chocolate.

* * *

Eliza ducked into a doorway when she noticed
Mrs. Zobard and Wesley talking outside of Miss Crawford’s door.
Mrs. Wiggons opened her own door and stepped into the hallway.

“I think you should let her sleep tomorrow,”
Wesley suggested.

“Why, is something amiss?” Mrs. Wiggons
asked, pulling the belt on her robe tight.

“I don’t believe she has gotten more than a
few hours at a time since she arrived here,” Wesley said.

“True.” Mrs. Wiggons nodded her head.

“Then tonight, she was out again,” Mrs.
Zobard offered.

Mrs. Wiggons gasped and turned. “Did she meet
Percer?”

Wesley glanced around then leaned in toward
Mrs. Wiggons. “Lord Atwood says she passed on the piece of the
map.”

“Oh, dear. I do hope he will let us alone.”
Mrs. Wiggons wrung her hands together. “If only we can make the
other problem go away. I don’t know what we can do about that.”

“I am sure Lord Atwood will think of
something.”

Mrs. Wiggons returned to her room and shut
the door. Mrs. Zobard and Wesley continued down the hall. Their
voices disappeared as they descended the stairs. Eliza strained to
hear what else they were staying. What other problem were they
talking about? It could only be Lady Atwood and she would be taken
care of tomorrow tonight.

‘”
Oh! if thou art indeed able to effect
that,

grant it to my earnest supplication; if one
throb of

human feeling vibrates in thy bosom, let my
tears

prevail with thee;”’

Wake Not the Dead

Johann Ludwig Tieck

Chapter 23

Tess opened her eyes and stretched her arms
above her head. For the first time in weeks she felt well-rested.
She glanced about the room and noticed it was brighter than most
mornings. Not that any sunlight penetrated this side of the house,
but still, there was more light which led her to believe they would
have a cloudless sky this morning. Perhaps a walk around the
grounds, as
a large
group, was in order. It wouldn’t be long
before winter set in and it was too cold for such activity.

She dressed in a pale blue day gown and
pulled her hair up on top of her head. Today she added a matching
ribbon and allowed a few of her curls to fall loose, all the while
humming a pleasant tune of a song she did not know the name of. Her
stomach grumbled and she made her way down to the large dining
room. Instead of plates and platters of food, the room was empty.
Surely she wasn’t so early to have beaten everyone to
breakfast.

Tess turned and made her way to the library
and glanced at the old clock as she passed. Three steps later she
stopped and looked back. It couldn’t be ten-thirty, in the morning.
She hastened to the front parlor. She cracked the door open and
listened. Claudia was starting her French lessons.
It is
ten-thirty
.
How could I have slept so long?

Her students! Tess rushed to the library to
find the younger girls seated in various chairs, on the floor and
the couch. Each had a book open and were reading silently. Wesley
sat in the chair behind Atwood’s desk. He smiled and stood when she
entered.

“Miss Crawford, I take it you slept well,
finally.”

Heat infused her cheeks. “Yes, thank you.
However, I find it rather embarrassing that I slept the morning
away.”

“I would not worry,” he smiled warmly. “Why
don’t you go into the informal dining room? I am sure Cook held
something back for your breakfast.”

Tess was about to insist she could wait until
lunch but her stomach growled, rather loudly, in contradiction to
her thoughts. A few of the girls giggled. “But my class,” she
gestured to the young students.

“Are perfectly fine. As you can see, they are
reading and quiet.”

“Pardon me, Wesley,” a young maid announced
when she entered the room. “His Lordship has requested you attend
him.”

“Thank you for staying with the girls,
Wesley.”
I will have to wait to eat now
. Her stomach growled
in protest once again.

“Anne, could you please stay with the
students while Miss Crawford has her breakfast?”

“It would be my pleasure.” The young maid
bobbed a curtsey.

Wesley escorted Tess from the room. “You go
on and I will see what my master needs.” Wesley turned and marched
up the stairs.

While Tess had a duty to her students, she
knew she would be worthless since her loud stomach would constantly
interrupt her lessons.

The smaller dining room had its’ curtains
pulled against the bright sun and was lit by several candles in the
sconces along the wall. Mrs. Zobard burst through the door.

“There you are. We heard you were awake. Cook
will have something for you in just a moment.”

“Thank you.” Tess settled into the chair
where plates and utensils had been placed. What else was there to
do?

In but a few moments a bowl of fruit and loaf
of bread were placed on the table. Preserves and butter were added.
Tess picked up her knife to slice off a piece of bread and reached
for the raspberry preserves when the door to the kitchen opened
again. A maid bustled in with more platters loaded with kippers,
eggs, and potatoes. Surely they did not make all of this for her.
After the platters were put in the middle of the table, another
place was set at the end, beside her, and Tess wondered who would
be joining her.

She finished spreading the preserves on her
bread when Atwood entered the room.

“Ah, so I am not the only slugabug.” He
grinned and took his seat.

“You
are
usually asleep at this time,”
Tess retorted.

“Yes, I am, but I have decided to try and
live as the rest of the world.” He reached forward and lifted the
platter of kippers and placed some on his plate. “However, I didn’t
expect to sleep this late into the day.”

“Nor did I,” Tess admitted. “I can’t remember
the last time I slept past seven.”

“You have been keeping late hours. It was
bound to happen that you would eventually exhaust yourself.” He
spooned eggs onto his plate.

“I suppose,” Tess reluctantly agreed. That is
the only reason she could muster.

“Eat.” Vincent gestured to the food on the
table.

Tess did as he suggested, though it was
uncomfortable. She was used to eating with a room full of girls and
the other teachers, not alone with a man.

“The blue looks lovely on you.”

Tess whipped her head to look at him. He was
not eating, but sitting back in his chair, cradling a cup of
coffee.

“And I like how you have left some of your
hair loose. It is a lovely color and should not be bound and tied
behind your back.”

Warmth flooded her face and she glanced down
at her plate. “Thank you.” She reached for her knife but instead
knocked it off of the corner of the plate and onto the table.

Vincent chuckled, but she did not turn to
acknowledge him.

“Why don’t you give your students a break?
Take the day off?”

She looked up and stared at him as if he were
mad. “That is not possible.”

“Why?” He shrugged his shoulders. “You have
already missed the morning lessons. Why not miss the entire
day?”

“It simply is not done. Their parents pay a
high tuition and I simply cannot abandon my duties,” Tess
insisted.

“Very well,” he acknowledged with a nod of
his head. “What class is next?”

“History.”

“And what are you teaching?”

“The girls are to present their papers on the
countries they researched.”

His head nodded again, as if he were actually
interested, before he turned his attention to the food before him,
thank goodness.

“Why should it matter?” she finally
asked.

“Because, Tess, I do not intend to let you
out of my sight.”

Her fork clattered against the plate. “I
assure you, that is not necessary.”

He leaned forward, his face having lost all
humor. “It is very necessary. You are in danger. By now I am sure
Percer has learned you tried to trick him. As you have not
hesitated to meet in him the past, alone, I’ve decided you need a
guard. Thus, I will be at your side every waking moment.”

* * *

Vincent tried to concentrate on his meal, but
found it difficult with Tess seated to his right and no other
distractions in the room, such as three dozen students. She said
nothing further after he announced he would guard her and he
wondered what was going on in that pretty head of hers.

In truth, he was not all that hungry and
would be perfectly content to sit and simply watch her, but each
time she caught him looking at her a lovely blush spread across her
cheeks and her eyes would dart away. In time she would become more
comfortable being alone with him. Hadn’t they already spent several
hours together, just the two of them? Why was she uncomfortable
now?

Perhaps it was the compliment. He could not
help himself. She looked beautiful this morning. There was color in
her cheeks from what he supposed was the result of a good night’s
sleep. And her hair for once was in a soft, feminine arrangement,
instead of those curls being pulled back in a tight, efficient knot
at the back of her head. He couldn’t decide if he preferred her in
this lighter shade of blue, or the darker one she had worn a day or
so ago. Both complimented her grey eyes. Hopefully he would see her
in both colors more often so he could finally come to a decision on
the matter.

Vincent took another sip of his coffee and
wondered when he had formed such a strong attachment to the young
woman seated next to him. It did boggle one’s mind. They’d known
each other barely a week, yet he could not imagine her out of his
life, ever. Though she refused his marriage proposal, he was
determined to make her his wife. He needed to marry her, though he
could not begin to explain why. At least they still had months
together. With the school needing to be torn down and then rebuilt,
she would be forced to live with him for the duration. If all went
well, such as a bitter winter, then the building would take all the
much longer to complete. Certainly by spring, if not before, she
would capitulate to his desires.

* * *

Rosemary clutched the parchment in her hands.
The paper shook. She glanced from Tess to Atwood then back to Tess.
“I chose Italy,” she began.

When she said nothing further, Tess prompted.
“What did you learn about Italy that makes the people unique?”

“They, um . . .” Her eyes strayed to Lord
Atwood again. Her face went deathly pale.

This was impossible. Tess stood. Rosemary was
the fourth student who attempted to present her paper, but they
were all too intimidated with Atwood sitting behind his desk,
watching and listening. Not that she could blame them. He could be
very unnerving at times. Half of them probably still believed he
was a vampire. Right now she wasn’t sure Rosemary could tell her
where Italy was on a map, and she was her best geography student.
“That is enough for today girls. You are free until your afternoon
lessons.”

“Might we go outside, Miss Crawford?” Eliza
asked.

Tess glanced in Vincent’s direction. He
simply shrugged his shoulders.

The air would do them good. “Stay by the
house. Do not wander to the gardens, woods, lake or gazebo. Do you
understand me?”

“Yes, Miss Crawford,” they answered in unison
before they were out the door.

Tess sank into a chair in front of Vincent’s
desk. “I don’t know why you can’t be somewhere else. This class
time was useless with you present.”

He grinned unabashedly.

His reaction only inflamed her. “I take my
position as a teacher very seriously. We accomplished nothing
today, which will put me further behind. You cannot continue to be
a constant presence, not if I am going to teach the girls
anything.”

“Until Percer is caught, you don’t have a
choice.”

* * *

“Are you sure no one saw us come out here?”
Eliza asked.

Both Sophia and Rosemary looked around and
behind them. “No,” Rosemary answered and took a seat next to
Eliza.

Sophia paused in the doorway and looked
around once more, concentrated on the woods behind the gazebo.

“Would you come along, you ninny,” Eliza
admonished.

Sophia sighed and entered the gazebo,
settling into a chair beside the chaise the other two girls sat
on.

“When I couldn’t sleep last night, I decided
to keep watch,” Eliza announced.